Multi-Port Dust Collection Manifold

I needed a multi-port manifold. I thought about just using PVC wyes but would still need to make the dust gates. It works really well and is very convenient. If I were to do it again, I would have made the bottom the same size as the top and add another port to make it a 4-port manifold. I didn’t really need the 4th port but it would be nice to have a spare.

I used all scrap wood. I “painted” the particle board with Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty to give it a nice texture. Then painted it with Forest Green spray paint for wood. I think it came out pretty cool.

Durham’s is a great product. It’s available at HD and Lowes, it’s inexpensive and extremely versatile. You can even add small amounts of paint to better match the wood you are working with. That’s my product pitch. :)

-- How valuable is time to a person who spends his disparaging the beliefs of others? --David Berthelette www.pilotwoodworks.com

@Larry, you are not missing anything. I attached it to the side of the cabinet. My first intention was to screw it to the wall, (concrete block), but realized I could very easily screw it to the cabinet. Actually, the screws are from the inside of the cabinet.

-- How valuable is time to a person who spends his disparaging the beliefs of others? --David Berthelette www.pilotwoodworks.com

There is always loss anytime you do anything to the air flow….change direction, add friction, leaks…etc.

I just realized that in my haste to post, I forgot to give credit for the design. This design is not completely mine. It is based on a design I saw in a book. Controlling Dust in the Workshop In the book, the author used 4” pipe and gates. I didn’t need 4” for the tools I planned for my manifold so I used the 2” pipe.

Without getting into a discussion on Bernoulli’s principle let’s just say that the suction at then end of the hose is quite sufficient. LOL. I do have a powerful dust collector, which obviously helps. I don’t get too wrapped around the axle about the science of dust collection. I have read quite a bit about it but in the end…it just sucks. (pun inteneded)

So my philosophy regarding the best dust collection system, pipe size, number of turns, type of bends, length of runs…etc is that if it works and works well…leave it alone.

As a test, I vacuumed a bunch of chips and dust from the counter top and floor. Some of the chips were quite large from some forstner bit activity. There were even some small blocks of wood (1”x1”). It sucked up everything I threw at it without any complaints and it all ended up in my dust collector bin.

When I have some time at home again…I’ll shoot some video to show how much it sucks. (sorry, it never gets old)

-- How valuable is time to a person who spends his disparaging the beliefs of others? --David Berthelette www.pilotwoodworks.com